Tag Archives: Green Cafe Idyllwild

Yep, Another Marshall Hawkins Banner

First image of Marshall Hawkins for Town Jazz

First image of Marshall Hawkins for Town Jazz

Marshall Hawkins,  head of the Jazz Department at Idyllwild Arts, is back as Musical Director for Jazz in the Pines held this year in Idyllwild on August 16-17. Just the other night (during a break playing at Cafe Aroma) he asked me to head up his booth at the festival.

I was thrilled mostly because we’d be continuing our long relationship with jazz and art. When Marshall headed up the Town Jazz event for two years in Idyllwild, I illustrated the image for the T-shirts and posters. Then when that ended, I continued to paint banners of him and sell prints at the Acorn Gallery (next to Cafe Aroma) where I work and paint.

Casey-Marshall T-shirts in seafoam green are for sale for $15 at Acorn Gallery

Casey-Marshall T-shirts in seafoam green are for sale for $15 at Acorn Gallery

Marshall also had the great idea to make a Casey Abrams-Marshall Hawkins T-shirt. Casey did great on “American Idol” and post-Idol is performing all over the country new songs, such as “Cougar Town.”

He’s also acting in an Indie movie with some big-name stars. I remember seeing Casey in a student short called, “18 Minutes.” He played the son of a guy who was going mad (played by Chris Pennock from “Dark Shadows” fame). Casey was about 15 years old at the time, with chubby cheeks and red curly hair. No beard was around then, but you could tell that he had acting talent. I had always thought he should be in the movies. He was so natural and funny doing those Ford commercials on “American Idol.”

Anyway, we printed the Casey-Marshall T-shirts, and would sell them at Casey’s concerts at the Hemet Theater and other events. We had them printed at Desert Arc in seafoam green and black. Proceeds from the $15 sale price go to Seahawk MOJO, Marshall’s charity for putting jazz music in the grade schools.

Prints of Marshall Hawkins are on sale at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Prints of Marshall Hawkins are on sale at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

The last of the Casey-Marshall T-shirts are for sale at the Acorn Gallery, and lately, they’ve been selling to an unlikely group–Seattle Seahawk fans who don’t know Casey or Marshall, but like the name of his charity, Seahawk MOJO.

This year, at Marshall’s booth at Jazz in the Pines, he will be selling some of his CDs, which are currently in the works, he tells me. Last year, when I sold the Casey-Marshall T-shirts everyone asked about Marshall CDs. As a teacher and performer, it’s hard to find time to record your own music.

“Now everything is coming together,” Marshall says.

So, at the booth, they’ll be Marshall’s CDs, and my Pop-Art style artwork. I’ll include images of Miles Davis because Marshall used to play with Miles Davis. A photo showing the two of them performing is on display at Cafe Aroma.

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear "Kind of Blue," I know everything's going to be OK.

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear “Kind of Blue,” I know everything’s going to be OK.

Miles Davis is one of my favorites. Whenever I hear, “Kind of Blue,” I know that everything is going to be all right.

I will also have images of Yve Evans, a talented singer from Palm Springs, who is a friend of Marshall’s. I painted a banner of Yve for my one-woman art show two years ago at Cafe Aroma, and Anne Finch purchased it. I think it may be hanging in her sound studio.

The smaller image that I painted of Yve this year is more Expressionistic than Pop Art, and makes her look more like a warrior. Marshall saw it and approved. Anne didn’t like it so well. I may make some posters of that image since she is popular.

This is my fifth image of Marshall Hawkins.

This is my fifth image of Marshall Hawkins.

I’m also painting a huge banner of Marshall Hawkins. I may use it as a backdrop at the booth, so there’s no mistaking where Marshall items will be sold at the jazz fest. Or, I may loan it out to another project, but that one’s “under wraps” for now.

Anyway, since this is my sixth image of Marshall in the past few years, I hope that I can bring a new freshness to his image. I also hope that Marshall’s wife doesn’t think that I have a crush on him. Frankly, I’d wonder why a local artist was doing so many images of my husband!

I like and respect Marshall, and he heartily promotes my art, so I guess you could call him my “muse.”

Because good things happen with my art when he’s around!

Copyright 2014 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Mirror Image Art Banners May Appeal to Designers

Ella Fitzgerald small banner forward image

A 17 x 20-inch banner of Ella Fitzgerad, front image in process

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Banners were my way of getting around the expensive framing racket. I started with door-sized tab-topped curtains but lately, I have been working my way down to smaller sizes. to fit the market.

I was inspired by a shy and attractive Ella in an early black-and-white photograph that I found online. I worked on the banner on New Year’s Eve (not wanting to go out on “Amateur Night”).

After a few hours of painting, I turned the banner over to add some tick marks. The marks help me keep track of my hours. Generally, it takes me 20-25 hours to finish a small portrait. If I go longer than that, there’s something awry!

I was surprised to see such a clear mirror image of Ella smiling back at me!

The reverse image of Ella Fitzgerald by Marcia Gawecki was sweet too!

The reverse image of Ella Fitzgerald by Marcia Gawecki was sweet too!

The reverse or mirror image looked better than the original that I had been diligently working on. It seemed a shame to paint over it, so I added some colors to the background.

All the while, I was thinking, “What would be the advantage of having two images on a banner? It would take double the amount of time, but would the effort be worth it?”

Then it hit me! The double image banner could be used as a curtain on a door with a window!

The mirror image of a large Obama banner is also "peeking" through!

The mirror image of a large Obama banner is also “peeking” through!

On my front door, there’s a portrait of President Obama that I did in 2008. However, there’s peach paint covering the back of it. Yet, next to the door, is a larger banner of another Obama banner that I did in 2012. When the sun shines, the reverse image peeks through!

Sitting in my living room, I’ve often wondered if I should paint the Obama reverse. Yet, with that large format, it would take hundreds of hours to complete. After the second election, people were more angry about the economy less interested in buying Obama images. So I don’t show that banner much, but I display it outside my Idyllwild home to show my continued commitment to the president.

After painting awhile on the Ella reverse, I decided to take a picture of the two sides and send it to an interior designer I had just met. It was an impulsive email, but I figured that I was onto something really cool for the right market.

If wouldn’t have to be images of jazz legends, but of anyone! I could create double-sided portrait banners of friends or family that people could display on their own front, back or side doors of their home or business.

These double banners could even spruce up a guest house or shed!

I might try it on the next few small banners that I do to see if there’s any interest! It would be double the amount of work, so I may have to charge more for the finished project. It might have a bigger appeal to designers who appreciate artwork that does something more than just hang on a wall!

To see the finished double-sided Ella Fitzgerald, visit the Acorn Gallery at 54750 North Circle Drive (next to Cafe Aroma) in Idyllwild. Call (951) 659-5950.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Getting Over Painting in Public

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Ever since I was young, I’ve always hated painting in public. My dad was stationed in the Phillippine Islands, and my sister and I took watercolor lessons from an old Filapino painter. He didn’t saymuch, but with his paintings, he spoke volumes.

During our lessons, it was customary for students to paint along the walkway into the gallery and shop. People would often stop and watch awhile. My sister, Beth, was definitely a better painter, and found a way to block out any distractions, including visitors.

For me, however, I would suddenly become self-conscious, and fumble with my paint, taking on too much paint or water, and creating an instant mess. Visitors would leave in embarassment, knowing that they caused the commotion.

It got to the point that I would rush through a painting in the early part of our lesson so it would be nearly done by the time that the nosy customers would walk by. Or worse yet, stop and watch.

Because of this, I almost stopped painting. But then I realized that most artists paint in private.

Over the years, when I lived in Omaha, Chicago, and now Idyllwild, gallery owners have encouraged me to paint in public. I would immediately refuse, saying I was too shy, or my canvas was too big for it to work.

Then I’d secretly watch the other artists that agreed to paint outside. One painter working outside the former Artisans Gallery in Oakwood Village, had them captivated. People were drinking wine and milling about, and occasionally would ask her questions, about where she lived, what medium she used, and how long she had been painting.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild. 38 x 50 1/2 inches.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild.
38 x 50 1/2 inches.

She responded with patience and grace. Then she noticed a squirrel digging and running up a nearby tree, and included it in her painting! Needless to say, I was amazed! She ended up selling a couple of paintings. I think it had something to do with the outdoor connection.

But that still didn’t convince me to paint in public. My palms still get sweaty at the thought of it. Then I managed to get my portraits in the Acorn Gallery, next to Cafe Aroma. I started watching the gallery two days a week.

Kirsten Ingbretsen, the owner who is also a mixed-media artist, would encourage me to paint inside or outside the gallery. She was very casual about it.

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Then the Idyllwild Art and Wine Walk arrived, and two of the Acorn artists had agreed to paint outside on the deck. They set up their easels and table, and made it inviting. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to participate, but I set up my banner of Tim Weisberg next to a chair in the parking lot. My back was to everyone who were busy drinking wine, so it was easy to handle.

I decided to get over it.

It was OK until people started getting rowdy and nearly spilled their wine on my back. However, I met some interesting people, and maybe got a commission out of one encounter.

The next week, when I would set out the easels and sculptures on Acorn’s deck, I could see traces o red paint left over from Kirsten’s art projects. At first, I tried to scrape the paint away, but it was stubborn. Scrubbing it was like scraping up frosting left over from a birthday party.

One day, I decided to paint outside under the umbrella, hoping to attract more visitors to the gallery. I was working on a sign that I needed for an art booth. However, I noticed that the longer I painted outside, the less people came into the gallery. They seemed to go the long way around the steps to Cafe Aroma.

I felt like an art troll guarding the door of the gallery. No one would dare cross me, unless they could comment about my painting. Little did they know, it was the last thing I wanted!

So I moved inside. Believe it or not, Kirsten did not object to painting on her glass desk, next to the counter. It was tucked away in the far corner, so visitors didn’t really see me working there until later.

I’m not sure when I started painting there regularly, but it was a matter of necessity. I had some commissions to finish before Christmas and was running out of time. At first, I would just paint the backs of the banners, something that I’d always leave for last. Then I kept adding colors to the back, and pretty soon it looked like an abstract!

When I started working on the front. At the time, I was working on a portrait of baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax. When people would come in, I’d immediately stop painting. I’d even cover it with a towel or a nearby folder, and go help them.

Then people started asking about the paintings.

“Oh, you do those bright portraits?” they’d ask. “What are you working on?” “Hey, that looks exactly like him!”

Sometimes, I’d go into detail about what kind of paint I used, or why I decided to paint on tab-topped curtains. Then I’d point out the other prints in the gallery, and the conversation would go into another direction.

These encounters were innocent enough, and really didn’t produce any sales. People were just curious about what you were doing. Kind of like if I were to see a woodworker whittling away at a piece of wood. I would stop and watch too.

But inside, I still was the young girl who was afraid of messing up.

Then yesterday, I had an encounter with a young artist. Her name was Gabriela, and she and her parents were looking around the gallery. They were from a rural town in Northern California.

Gabby was asking pointed questions about Kirsten’s work that was on display on an easel. This particular one was intense and theraputic. I explained that Kirsten paints about her experiences, and in this case, about a fight she had with her friend.

“She painted this painting a few years ago right after an argument, and then put it away,” I told Gabby, who was looking at the Buddah and sailboats at the top of the painting. “Then she painted this part later. You can do that, you know, finish a painting years later.”

Gabby’s mother saw my paints on the desk, and mentioned that Gabby got an easel and several canvases for Christmas.

“What kind of paint do you use?” she asked.

“I use Behr acrylic paint from Home Depot,” I explained. “I have them mix the $3 samples in bright colors. They have screw on lids, so I don’t spill the paint while I’m painting on my kitchen floor.”

People are always amazed that artists will just paint in the middle of a room. That’s nothing! I know of a sculptor who built a clay pot in the middle of his living room while his wife was away! However, she threatened to leave him if he did it again!

Then Gabby’s dad showed me one of Gabby’s recent paintings on his cell phone. It was an incredible painting of a sunset. There were reds, yellows and blues, with lots of movement. My heart was full!

“How old is Gabby?” I asked.

“Six years old,” her mother replied.

Then I understood why they were a little apprehensive. At that young age, Gabby had real talent. She could even be great, if she kept it up. I tried not to jump up and down and shout that they had the next van Gogh on their hands! Instead, I took their lead and remained calm.

“You should frame it,” I suggested. “It’s really good!”

Gabby beamed.

Her mother said she had put the sunset up in her room. I could tell that they probably didn’ t have much money, and were overwhelmed with what they were going to do with her. I wanted to suggest private lessons, but in the rural area where they lived, there probably was limited resources.

So I suggested that they get large canvases from thrift stores, and paint over those ugly paintings.

“You can use white or any color to cover it, and sometimes there’s texture from the previous painting that you can use in your own landscapes,” I suggested.

Gabby liked the idea, and I asked her if she painted from nature, or out of her head.

“For the sunset, I painted what I saw. My parents like to look at sunsets,” she said. “But other times, I paint from out of my head.”

Artists who can paint from imagination or memory are a different breed.

Then I handed her a poster that I had done of Casey Abrams that showed all the bright colors, explaining that it was OK to give him a green face and purple hair.

I’m not sure how much of what I said sunk in with Gabby. My guess is that she would be light years ahead of me in no time. But she seemed like a well-adjusted young girl, curious about the world.

After they left for Humber Park searching for the last traces of snow, I looked back at Kirsten’s desk. My paint tubs were lined up like little soldiers, while the brushes were resting in the small water cup. The portrait was half hidden, but it was a definite mess.

Then I realized then that I would never have had that art conversation with Gabby had I not been painting in public. I would have said hi to her, and talked about the holiday or the weather, and that would’ve been it.

I would have missed Gabby’s sunset.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Mistints and a Messy Kitchen

Jazz guitarist Graham Dechter in process on my kitchen floor in Idyllwild.

Jazz guitarist Graham Dechter in process on my kitchen floor in Idyllwild.

By Marcia E. Gawecki

During the holidays, most people will admit they have messy kitchens. There’s dishes in the sink, pans left on the stove, and tabletops not wiped down. There might even be a rolling pin or food processor left out from baking pies or pesto. As an artist, I have them all beat.

My kitchen is a mine field.

There’s a large canvas tarp spread across the 15 x 15-foot floor. It’s just a formality because paint is splattered everywhere. There’s not one defining color, and it’s not pretty.

Paint cans, brushes, rags and spaghetti jars filled with water and brushes line my path from the computer to the kitchen sink. At least once a week, I trip over the water jar, sending brushes and water all over the floor. My cats scurry out of the way as I sop it up with rags, towels, bras or anything handy, cursing all the while.

In the mountains above Palm Springs where I live, things don’t dry easily. So I have to wait on my door-sized canvases to dry.

It’s actually gotten better from the days when I would knock over entire cans of paint secured with tippy metal lids. I’ve ruined many favorite clothes trying to get out of the way.

I like mistints from Home Depot, you know, the kind of paint that’s been marked down to $8 a gallon because it wasn’t the right shade of pink, blue or green, and the buyer probably had a snit.

I’ve always wanted to ask the paint clerk about the backstory of why the person refused an entire gallon of paint. Such a waste! But I’m just so happy to have these great finds, that I don’t want to get anyone mad again.

I’d buy up all of the mistints I could afford, but then there were days there was only odd grays and creams left. I’d be like a junkie returning to Home Depot every few days looking to score a green or maybe a bright orange.

Then I discovered paint samples. Those are the small plastic cannisters of paint that look like butter tubs. Most people buy them to try out on their living room, bedroom or kitchen walls. If the sample color looks good, then they’ll go ahead buy a couple of gallons of the same shade. It’s a no-stress way of buying paint because Behr (brand) samples cost less than $3.

When the weather is nice, I paint on my back deck, like this one of Ella Fitzgerald.

When the weather is nice, I paint on my back deck, like this one of Ella Fitzgerald.

I prefer Behr paint because it is Made in the USA, in Santa Ana, California. It makes me feel good knowing that my small paint purchases are helping to save American jobs. I also like Behr paint because it’s top quality, and usually comes with primer built in. So you don’t have to spend so much of it covering your canvases.

The only downside to buying Behr paint samples is that Home Depot may be on to me. When I show up at the counter with five color swatches, and ask for five samples, it must register that I’m not painting all the walls in my house a different color. So far, they haven’t grumbled because it’s work. They have to go to the same trouble as mixing a gallon of paint– for a fraction of the cost.

And they know that I’m not coming back tomorrow to buy a couple of gallons.

Some friends of mine think that buying acrylic house paint is cheap, or less quality. Yep, it probably is. But I figured if it’s good enough to put on the outside or inside of your house and last several years, then it’s good enough to put on my paintings.

Besides, I need large quantities of acrylic paint to cover my door-sized banners. And Jackson Pollock used common house paint in his splatter-paint masterpieces.

Mainly, it’s a matter of economics. You may recall that I am the artist without a studio who sacrificed my kitchen floor. Do you think I have enough money to pay for acrylic paint at $30 a jar?

I’m just trying to find a way to continue painting without having to give it up and just be another bill-paying slob.

Banner of Barnaby Finch in process. The bigger the banner, the bigger the mess.

Banner of Barnaby Finch in process. The bigger the banner, the bigger the mess.

The only people who I allow over these days are my friends. I just can’t stand to see the horror on their faces. One time, a friend came over for a walk, but brought another friend. I mentioned in the walk that I had “sacrificed” my kitchen floor to paint. After the walk, she wanted to see it. I was giddy from all that exercise, so I said OK.

I won’t mention her name because she didn’t have a good reaction. She just stared like I had spread chicken guts all over the floor and left.

It made me feel weird and judged for my lack of tidiness. If I could manage to paint somewhere else in my house, believe me, I would. But for now, it’s all I’ve got.

The only ones who probably wouldn’t judge me would be LA graffiti or street artists. I met a few of them when I wrote an article about them showing at a gallery in Palm Springs. They had videos on their web sites that showed them wading through paper and canvases in their living rooms. They would use spray paint paint that would go everywhere!

It was so wonderful! I felt like I found my long lost brothers!

In the midst of the mess, they’d tack inspirational messages to the wall from other well-known artists like Picasso.

“While other people are talking, I’m doing art,” was the Picasso quote.

LA graffiti artists are probably the only ones who wouldn't judge me. Frankenstein's monster by Marcia Gawecki

LA graffiti artists are probably the only ones who wouldn’t judge me. Frankenstein’s monster by Marcia Gawecki

These guys are amazing artists who can paint anywhere, on a building, a wall or on a grand piano. They create beauty and precision with spray cans of paint. The ones I met have clothing designers and international beer brands courting them.

But there was a time when they couldn’t pay their rent. However, they probably never worried about what others thought of their work space where they also happened to live.

So really it’s a matter of perspective. I could tell people that I have a studio space, that also doubles as a kitchen.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

47th Annual Idyllwild Harvest Festival

Art like this heart mosiac by Idyllwild artist Nanci Killingsworth will be at the Harvest Festival.

Art like this heart mosiac by Idyllwild artist Nanci Killingsworth will be at the Harvest Festival.

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Not many small towns in America can boast that they’ve hosted an annual festival for nearly five decades. Yet, the Idyllwild Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Idyllwild Rotary Club, is hosting it’s 47th event on Nov. 29-30, the weekend after Thanksgiving.

“It’s a tradition to have it at Town Hall after Thanksgiving. A lot of people come up to Idyllwild just for this event,” says Dawn Miller, the former Idyllwild Postmaster, who is in charge of the vendors.

The Harvest Festival coincides with Idyllwild’s annual Santa’s Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday at 4:20 p.m. in the center of town.

This year, Miller says they’re expecting about 800 visitors a day.

“We give every visitor a numbered ticket which they show to every vendor and if the number on their ticket matches the number on the vendor’s ticket the visitor receives a free gift,” Miller explains. “Last year we printed 800 tickets and ran out on the first day.”

Idyllwild is considered one of the 'Top 100 Best Art Towns in America'

Idyllwild is considered one of the ‘Top 100 Best Art Towns in America’

Idyllwild, known as one of the “100 Best Art Towns in America,” has many unique artists who will be showcasing their work at the festival. Some of the 33 vendors include alpaca wool wear, painted gourds, quilts, photography, paintings, mosiacs, pottery, books and more.

Besides Idyllwild, vendors come from the surrounding communities, including Mountain Center, Anza, Hemet, Temecula, and Indio.

Miller says she limited the number of vendors to show unique, homemade wares.

“We don’t want anything that’s mass produced or resold,” she says. “Most people are here to buy homemade gifts for the holidays.”

Artist Nanci Killingsworth with Michael portrait by Marcia Gawecki.

Artist Nanci Killingsworth with Michael portrait by Marcia Gawecki.

Local artist Nanci Killingsworth has been showing her unique “Mountain Girl Mosiacs” at the Idyllwild Harvest Festival for the past several years. For weeks, she’s been making lots of items for the 2-day event, including plates, bowls, cups and ornaments.

Killingsworth takes great care to set up her space, with shelves and table display mounts.

“This is the biggest event of the year for me,” she says.

Thoughout the year, Killingsworh collects broken glass and pieces of clay pots to make her mosiacs.

“Friends and strangers leave bags of broken glass and pots at my front gate,” Killingsworth says with a laugh. “It makes for a nice mix of materials for my mosiacs.”

Besides arts and crafts, the Harvest Festival will feature live music by Local Color and have about a dozen homemade gift baskets that will be raffled off. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 each. Several vendors have donated gift baskets, including the Idyllwild Jazz Festival, In the Bag from Palm Springs, and local merchants for a weekend getaway in Idyllwild.

Sculptor David Roy also created the monument in the center of town.

Sculptor David Roy also created the monument in the center of town.

The Rotary is also raffling off a homemade quilt and a carved wooden bear created by local sculptor David Roy.

“It’s really a great festival because the proceeds go to a good cause,” Miller adds.

Gina Genis at an art talk in Laguna Beach. Gina's book, 'Everyone and their Mother' will be sold at the Harvest Festival.

Gina Genis at an art talk in Laguna Beach. Gina’s book, ‘Everyone and their Mother’ will be sold at the Harvest Festival.

The event raises about $5,000, Miller says, which is given out mostly for scholarships, including students from Hemet High School and Idyllwild Arts who are going to college. Some is given to the Idyllwild Help Center Food Pantry, and the new Community Center.

The 47th Annual Idyllwild Harvest Festival will be held on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30, starting at 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. It’s located at the Town Hall at 25925 Cedar Street in Idyllwild (down the street from Hidden Gardens Chinese Restaurant).

For more information, call Dawn Miller at (951) 659-0444 or visit www.idyllwildharvestfestival.com.

Copyright Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Gwen Novak Reveals New Garner Valley Pastels

Gwen Novak release 6 new images of Garner Valley

Gwen Novak release 6 new images of Garner Valley

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Gwen Novak likes to paint with light.

On her resume, she says she chases light all over the state, often getting up very early.

Recently, she submitted six new pastels about Garner Valley for The Acorn Gallery next to Café Aroma in Idyllwild.

Even though the award-winning artist lives in La Qunita, she adores Garner Valley.

“It’s a vista that changes with the seasons,” she says.

Garner Valley floods

Garner Valley floods

Oftentimes, Novak would pass by Garner Valley on her way to Idyllwild for plein air art shows. Although she hasn’t entered them recently, she has hundreds of photographs of Garner Valley, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning.

Some are created with pink or yellow flowers in the spring. Other times, it’s red grasses in the fall.

Novak works mostly from hundreds of photographs that she’s taken over the years.

She and her husband, Art, are retired, but Novak draws every day.

She uses pure pigments that are expensive, and are used to make paints.

“Some pigments are mixed with charcoal or chalk, but they’re expensive like $16 each,” Novak says. Some are hard as a pencil, while others are soft, and crumble away in her hands as she uses them.

The new pastels range in sizes from 8 x 10 inches, 11 x 14 inches and 16 x 20 inches.

Most of what Novak makes from sales is reinvested into gold-leaf frames and museum-quality glass.

She’s a true artist, who doesn’t have a web site with photos of her latest works, or even a business card.

Garner Valley with red grasses

Garner Valley with red grasses

“All I want to do is draw,” Novak says.

And she draws in her La Quinta studio every day. She draws desert scenes of the area, and sometimes draws pictures of the neighbor’s dogs.

Sometimes, one pastel drawing only takes a day to make.  Four to five hours.

She sells about one pastel a month at the Acorn Gallery (next to Café Aroma) in Idyllwild. She doesn’t show her work at any other gallery because there’s no need.

“Gwen is on fire right now,” says Kirsten Ingbretsen, owner of The Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild. “We’ve sold a lot of her works recently.”

Novak showcases Garner Valley in a variety of seasons

Novak showcases Garner Valley in a variety of seasons

Sales range from two Garner Valley pink flowers to a Carlsbad seascape.

Customers who have lived in Garner Valley and the area appreciate Novak’s ability to capture the uniqueness of the terrain in different seasons. The pink and yellow flowers are abundant in the spring, while the red grasses are more prevalent in the fall.

“Garner Valley floods a lot,” says Novak. “Sometimes, the water takes on a pink look because of the algae in it.”

One woman in Idyllwild who bought “Yellow Winter,” which features snow in Garner Valley bathed in yellow light, liked it so much that she kept it for herself. She had originally planned on giving it to her daughter as a present.

Now she is eager to look at Novak’s new works, to see which one she’ll purchase for her daughter. Garner Valley is special to her because it’s where she boards and rides her horse.

Although Novak creates her pastels from photographs that’s she’s take over the years, she welcomes commissioned pieces.  She’ll work from anyone’s submitted photograph, without obligation.

“If someone comes to me with a photograph of their favorite spot in Garner Valley,” Novak says. “I’ll create a piece or two from it, and there’s no obligation. If they like it, they can buy it.”

New works by Gwen Novak can be seen at The Acorn Gallery, next to Café Aroma in Idyllwild. For more information, call the gallery at (951) 659-5950 Prices range from $220 to $1,100 for larger, gold-leaf frames.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.